Shepherd's Pie

Three hours clearing up the rancid mess from our very enjoyable Christmas party left me in need of comfort food. So for brunch I fried some smoked bacon and one egg, easy over, and put it into a toasted bagel. An afternoon wander round Hackney (two CDs from the library: Public Image and Ol' Dirty Bastard's greatest hits and the Pound Shop where I bought some last minute presents for my nearest and dearest) left me still in need of winter food so I decided that we'd have Shepherd's Pie for tea. I bought a packet of lean Aberdeeen Angus minced beef from M&S and basically cooked it how my mum used to but added a tin of butter beans as I like the flavour with the meat. It's worth making enough for two meals as it can be heated up in the microwave or oven or even eaten standing up at an open fridge door after a night in the pub.

Serves four or two people for two meals.

INGREDIENTS:
400g packet of lean mince
2 smallish onions
4 cloves of garlic
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 pounds of potatoes (Whites are good and cheap. Not new potatoes or the waxy european potatoes - you need something that'll mash well)
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Tin of butter beans
Other bits and pieces: a bayleaf, a small sprig of Rosemarie or Thyme, Worchester sauce, white pepper, tomato puree, salt, sunflower oil

METHOD:
Peel your potatoes, chop into same sized pieces and put to boil in salted water. Meanwhile heat the oven to 200C and get your largest oven proof dish ready.
Chop the onions and garlic and fry in a large saucepan or frying pan on a moderate heat with a dessert spoon of oil.
Season the mince with a few dashes of Worchester Sauce and white pepper and add it to the onions and fry gently so the meat browns. Add a bayleaf and herbs if you're using them. Add the tinned tomatoes and a squirt of puree and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the potatoes as they'll be ready around now. Add the chopped carrots and cook for another 10 minutes and add the butter beans. Add salt to taste.
While the carrots are cooking, mash your potatoes. I added a large teaspoon of mustard, white pepper, milk, salt and a large knob of butter and beat the hell out of them.
Put the mince in the dish, layer the mash on top of it and put it in the oven for 20 minutes or until the potato has browned slightly.
Serve with greens.